Fourteen kilometers per hour of top speed more at the speed trap is really a lot of stuff even on a very fast track like the citizen of Jeddah: Max Verstappen soared with the Red Bull RB18 hitting 334.6 km / h in the wake, while Charles Leclerc did not go beyond 320.6 km / h in the Ferrari F1-75. If the Dutchman was firmly at the top of the list, the Monegasque was only 16th.
The difference was macroscopic, yet speed had an impact on the final result, but in a very limited way: Max Verstappen won the second round of the F1 world championship with a gap of 549 thousandths over the Ferrari driver who, however, took home the punticino of the fastest lap with two laps from the end in 1’31 “634, resulting 138 thousandths faster than his rival.
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in battle in the Saudi Arabian GP
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
The track, therefore, indicated a substantial balance between the performance of two single-seaters, the children of diametrically opposed design concepts: sloping bellies for Red Bull and double bottoms for Ferrari, on a track that tended to be favorable to the RB18.
The first consideration is that there is not a big difference in power units: in 2019 Ferrari ended up in the dock for the alleged irregularities in the engine fuel system that led the Cavallino team to sign a secret agreement. with the FIA to close the affair without disqualifications, but paying a tribute which then cost Maranello two years of purging and severe tribulations.
The RBPTH001 power unit on the Red Bull RB18
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Despite the different speeds on the straight, there were no complaints about the RBPTH001 engine, a sign that the causes are not in the Japanese power unit renamed by Milton Keynes…
“Honestly I think they are different situations – explains Mattia Binotto -, because I believe that Red Bull has chosen different wings from ours and, therefore, the issue is aerodynamic in nature. Then it’s true, the Red Bulls have a very high speed and I don’t hide the fact that we are looking if they have any aero-elasticity in their wings, but nothing that comes from the engine ”.
The engine of the Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Before closing the PU argument, it is worth remembering that Lewis Hamilton on the straight reached 332.4 km / h with the Mercedes W13, followed by Alexander Albon with the Williams at just 0.2 km, a sign that the unit of Brackley has certainly not become the last in the paddock and that the problems of the silver arrow are aerodynamic in nature.
Mercedes W13, detail of the lower rear wing compared to Bahrain
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The rear wing of the W13 was dumped to improve peak speed, but the problems with Brackley’s car remained unsolved, a sign that the lack of competitiveness is not with the engine.
Red Bull Racing RB18, detail of the lower rear wing
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Red Bull, following the Bahrain trend, has chosen a very light aerodynamic set-up: in free practice Max Verstappen started with a rear wing similar to that of Sakhir, while Sergio Perez used a decidedly less resistant version as much in the main profile than in the mobile flap. The solution approved by the Mexican was then adopted for qualifying and the race on both cars.
Ferrari, on the other hand, made a quick experiment with a lighter rear wing, but then immediately returned to the well-known Bahrain one to find the best balance, especially in tire management, perhaps focusing on a too conservative solution, at least judged to rear.
Ferrari F1-75: comparison between the rear wings, below the lighter one not used in qualifying and the race
Photo by: Uncredited
The Cavallino team did an excellent job in understanding the Pirelli lowered tires and seems to have better management of the compounds in the race than the Red Bull which, on the other hand, seems more ready to turn on the temperature of the tires at the start and at the restarts from Safety. Car.
Red Bull RB18: the new lower beam wing compared to Sakhir’s
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Red Bull in search of maximum aerodynamic efficiency has introduced a novelty in the beam wing that was designed by Adrian Newey in a different way from the others who limited themselves to stacking two flaps in cascade, one on top of the other, while on the RB18 the two profiles have been mounted one in front of the other to give the sensation of the existence of a double bottom, useful for extracting the flow from the extractor. In Jeddah, the tail element was slightly cut to reduce drag.
The Ferrari, thanks to the balance achieved at Sakhir, has remained essentially the same, but there is an important difference that separates the F1-75 and the Red Bull: the red, thanks to the more charged wing which costs in terms of endurance. something to the powerful 066/7 engine on the straights, it has a great downforce coming out of slow corners, showing extraordinary traction qualities during acceleration.
Ferrari F1-75, detail of the hollowed bellies
Photo by: Erik Junius
The hollowed bellies ensure an additional vertical thrust that allows the Ferrari to slightly raise the ground clearance to avoid the appearance of the hopping. David Sanchez and Enrico Cardile have found a valid balance that allows the red to take advantage of a good balance that can be measured in the management of the tires and in excellent braking without frequent blocking.
Unlike Ferrari, Red Bull seeks the minimum ground clearance to make the most of the ground effect generated by the Venturi channels. In the television shoot, Adrian Newey was seen crouching beside the RB18: the “genius” wanted to personally check how much the surface was crawling on the asphalt.
Ferrari F1-75: the shock absorber mounted above the T-tray
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Not to the T-tray, since the front splitter has been reinforced this year and has (like the Ferrari, above) a shock absorber that avoids it breaking, slowing the return to the natural position after a scordata or a crawl on the asphalt . The Milton Keynes technician focused attention on the “elbow” where the bottom rises to become the extractor.
Max Verstappen with the Red Bull RB18 who manages to keep the bottom close to the asphalt
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
That is the point that Newey wants to touch on the bottom of the track and for this reason he has chosen an upright set-up, with the nose slightly raised (the exact opposite of the Rake set-up we used to see last year), perhaps aiming to stall the diffuser to get those top speeds so high, while the Ferrari seems to have a more neutral behavior.
Two machines and two different philosophies which, so far, give similar results. On paper, the most extreme project of the RB18 should have more room for growth, but Mattia Binotto has declared that he does not fear the game of developments if there will be compliance with the spending limits. So let’s expect some tricks up our sleeve …
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